And With Cheeks Red As An Apple
by papapapapasta
Summary: Rachel likes her farm and new life in Echo Village. She also happens to like the guy who runs the pet store- not that she's had any experience with that sort of thing before. Thankfully she's got a friend to push her in the right direction... or at least a direction. [MC/Rod]
1. Prologue

_AN: Wow it's been a super long while since I've written fanfiction or any sort of fiction in general, really. So if this is a little rusty (which I'm sure it is) just give it a little time and my writing shall improve. Of course feel free to critique as needed. All I've got to offer for now is a short little intro to the story, I've planned for the coming chapters to be longer. I named the MC Rachel because it's the default name in a New Beginning, at least to my knowledge. I've always sucked at author's notes so I'm just going to shut up now, anyway, I hope you enjoy the fic!_

The knocks are sudden, and Rachel is woken up almost instantly. She muffles a groan as she hears the unmistakably soothing yet somewhat scratchy voice of the mayor, Dunhill.

"Rachel, are you up?"

"Yes, one moment!" She calls before rolling out of bed and practically pouncing in front her dresser. While Rachel opens the door and searches for the most convenient outfit to wear, she's still crouching from her jump over. As ridiculous as she realizes she looks, it really does save time from actually standing up and walking over. Besides, these 6a.m. visits happen often enough that this has more or less become a routine of hers.

Moving to Echo Village hasn't exactly been what the blonde farmer had expected. While the farm is beautiful and spacious, the town itself is rather lonely. Rachel had been quite surprised to find out that the three villagers who had greeted her when she moved in happened to be the _only_ villagers.

"Oh, jeez," Rachel mutters, she'd forgotten that she'd spilled grape juice on her only (at the time) clean pair of overalls. She pulls said overalls off the hanger throws them on regardless, it's not as if she has the time to be picky.

Sometimes the farmer wishes Dunhill would move these visits to a more convenient time. Maybe at 8, after she's at least had the chance to grab breakfast and get a start on her farm work. She isn't about to complain anytime soon though, the look of happiness on Dunhill's face during these visits is enough to keep anyone's mouth shut.

Rachel has become somewhat of a symbol of hope in the (almost) three seasons that she's lived in the village. After Dunhill discovered Rachel's talent at building things-which is another story in itself- she's been put up to the task of basically restoring the village. Now, Dunhill often drops by in the morning to give her new building blueprints, festival announcements, and some days, a new villager to introduce to her.

Rachel hums gently as she runs her brush through her long blonde hair. Her humming is soft but she's brushing as quickly as possible, or as quickly as she can without making a mess of her hair. She's thinking that she'll be meeting someone new this morning. After all, she had just finished building a cottage last night. Dunhill mentioned something about a pet store if she remembers correctly... Either way, she's more excited about meeting a (possible) new friend than getting the outline for another town renovation.

While the town's population has definitely grown from when Rachel had first moved in, there is certainly a ways to go. And if she's really honest with herself, then she can really stand to meet more people her age. She gets along great with the older villagers like Hanna and Emma but when it comes to the younger people, the only friend she has at the moment is an egotistical hairstylist.

Her hair is finally presentable and so Rachel puts on her cowgirl hat. She gives herself a once-over in the mirror and grimaces when she catches a peak of the stain on her overalls. She hopes that it isn't too noticeable.

"All set!" Rachel calls and is answered by the turn of a knob and her front door opening.

Dunhill steps in first, wearing a smile so cheerful that not even his beard can hide it. "Rachel, there's someone that I'd like you to meet, Come here, Rod."

And Rod steps in and Rachel isn't sure what she expected but it wasn't this.

Rod himself isn't really all that special, at least not appearance wise. Average height, sporty clothes, normal face (though arguably cute), but then there's his smile. There's something about his smile that gives Rachel a funny feeling in her chest and all of a sudden, she really wishes that there wasn't a huge purple stain on her overalls.

"Hey, I heard you were the person who built my house? Thanks, it's a great place! My name is Rod and I'm going to be running a pet shop. Nice to meet you!" He reaches his hand towards her, his smile still going strong.

Rachel swallows. Hard. Her heart's beating beating fast and, gosh, could this really be happening? She pushes those thoughts out of her mind and smiles widely, reaching to his hand and returning the handshake, "I'm glad you like your house. I'm Rachel, nice meeting you too!"

And then Rod is still smiling and Dunhill is saying something but at this point Rachel isn't even paying attention anymore. She's got a (probably stupid looking, she thinks) huge smile on her face and her cheeks are more than a little pink from what she can feel.

"-and that's all I've got to say for now, I guess we'd better let you start on your farm work," Dunhill says, snapping Rachel out of her trance.

"See you around, Rachel," Rod says as he and Dunhill make their way out of the house. All Rachel can bring herself to do is smile and wave, for some reason her voice doesn't seem to be working. As soon as her door closes she takes a breath before flinging herself onto her bed and clutching a pillow tightly.

"...that guy was really cute," she buries her face into the pillow and makes a noise of exasperation. She isn't sure what's come over her, though she thinks his smile has something to do with it. She decides it's best to forget about this, after all it isn't as if she doesn't already have enough on her plate. She has a town and a farm to worry about, more than enough to think about without mixing romance into it, although... maybe she can use a pet or two to keep her company on the farm. Paying a visit to his store can't possibly bring any harm after all, right?

Rachel sighs, there was no easy way out of this one. After about a moment of silence she looks towards her alarm clock.

"...I wonder what time his shop's open?"

(She decides to find out).


	2. Chapter 1

_AN: And Allen makes an entrance! I think he's probably the only bachelor that I wouldn't go with in game, something about him just screams 'sarcastic, blunt best friend' more than 'boyfriend' but that's probably just me. I see him as the type of guy to be pretty stubborn and opinionated, which is fun to write. Anyway that's all I've got to say for now, onto the actual chapter!_

"Took you long enough to admit it," Allen says with that knowing smirk on his face.

"I just didn't want you teasing me about it! Especially after I found out you guys were childhood friends," Rachel grumbles in response. She empties the glass of juice she was drinking and sets it on the table.

It isn't uncommon for her to chat with Allen at his house every couple of days. Somehow after her first visit to the salon, the conversation that had gone with the at least two hour long haircut/wash/demands that she'd return regularly to keep her hair in shape, blossomed into a friendship.

She looks up from the glass and sees that he's still smirking.

"Really, Rachel, you thought I didn't notice? Don't you know how red your cheeks get, your face looked like an apple last time I saw you talking to him,"

"Okay, this is exactly why I didn't want to tell you! Besides, it's not that I _like_ him, I just think he's cute and all-" She stops talking at the sight of Allen's face, his patronizing expression only growing. Rachel buries her head in her hands, she can't believe she's talking like she's a high schooler with a crush. Worst of all, she can feel her cheeks going red again.

Allen shakes his head, "hey, I'm only telling the truth. Besides, Rod isn't a bad guy. He's simple minded- and looks like a clown when he gets too excited, but he's still not a bad guy. You did the right thing by telling me. Since I grew up with him I can figure out a way to get you guys together."

"No!" Rachel pulls her hands away from her head and waves them around frantically, "I only told you because you wouldn't stop badgering me. I don't have time for romance or anything. Besides, who knows if it'll even work out. I don't even know anything about him!"

Allen is unmoved and simply shakes his head. "If you have time to visit me this often, I'm sure you have time for a boyfriend," he retorts and Rachel goes silent.

"...Look, I'm just taking my time with this okay, if it's going to happen, it will happen!"

He sighs in exasperation, "it's not 'just going to happen', do you know how thickheaded that guy gets when it comes to things like this? He'll never notice anything if you don't say something."

"Well, we're getting along just fine!"

"He's a friendly guy, he gets along with everyone!"

"Like I said, I don't need anything like that right now, okay?!" Rachel says, refusing to meet Allen's eyes.

"What, are you too scared to even try? Come on, I thought you were better than this."

"...sorry, Allen. Thanks for the juice," Rachel mutters as she pushes her chair in, "and thanks for the offer but I really don't want to dive into anything right now. Maybe later, but not now." She knows she's being a coward, but it's only been a week since Rod has moved in. She figures she doesn't have to dive into anything right away.

Allen stares at her for a moment before nodding, "you're welcome, goodnight."

He waits until after she makes her way downstairs to let out a sigh. Well, he sure as hell wasn't going to apologize for telling the truth, though he was disappointed by the outcome of their conversation. This whole thing could have been a lot of fun. The town was small, meaning not many people came to his salon. This could have been _something_ to do. He looks out his window only to be faced with the restaurant across the road.

Well, maybe things weren't over _yet_.

* * *

Rachel yawns after finally finishing the trek home. She'd decided to spend the day fishing since she'd finished her farm work early. Just as she's about to open her door she notices a piece of paper taped onto the front. The neat, elegant printing she recognizes instantly as Allen's. Rachel hasn't visited him since their argument a few days ago, since she still feels awkward about the whole thing. The blonde tears the note off the door and scans its contents:

_Rachel,_

_I may have been a little harsh the other day. Let's patch things over with a meal. Meet me for lunch at Chez Clement at noon on Saturday. Lunch is on me._

_-Allen_

Rachel rolls her eyes, this note is just too typical of Allen. Honestly though, she does miss him a little, as agitating as he can be. Besides, it isn't exactly the first argument they've gotten into, and they've patched things up every other time. She pockets the letter and steps inside her house. She yawns, and hopes Saturday will be fun.

* * *

"Ugh, it's already this late?" Rachel exclaims as she throws off her overalls in favour of something a little nicer. She pulls on her work shorts and glances at the clock again.

It still reads 12:05.

"Allen is going to kill me," she says as she bolts out the door. Allen was not a fan of tardiness as she'd found out one fateful day when she had been late for a cut. He'll most likely be even angrier this time around, considering he was going to treat her. But Rachel couldn't help it, it wasn't her fault her dog decided to chase after a butterfly with such excitement that the leash had been yanked out of her hand. But Allen definitely wasn't going to hear any of it, regardless of how long it took her to find her doggie and bring him home.

Even as she runs full speed, Rachel knows that by the time she arrives she will be at least ten minutes late. She prays that Allen is in a good mood, she doesn't want to deal with the redhead when he's sulking.

Finally, the restaurant is in sight. Rachel practically throws the door open and nearly stumbles inside.

"Sorry I'm late!" She calls, hoping Allen won't take notice of how the running and wind has probably abused her hair.

While granted, he does look slightly annoyed with one brow furrowed, for the most part he's relaxed and -dare she say it- wearing _another_ one of his smirks.

"Apologies aside, Rachel, you've kept us waiting."

Rachel pauses. _Us_? She feels her whole body freeze except for her head, which turns to see the seat across from where Allen is seated.

"Hi Rachel," Rod says in his usual cheery voice.

"H-hello!" Rachel replies, hoping he didn't hear the way her voice has just gone up a few pitches. "Sorry I'm late!" Right now she's trying to formulate a plan to escape as well as a way to kill Allen later.

"Don't worry about it, you've probably got your hands full with your farm," Rod says and before she can even utter a word about suddenly coming down with a cold, Allen's voice comes through, clear and somewhat demanding.

"Well come on Rachel, sit."

Reluctantly, she seats herself besides Allen, the look of smug satisfaction on his face is making her tempted to splash him with the glass of water set on the table.

"It was nice of you to get us lunch Allen," Rod says as he enthusiastically flips through the menu.

"No need for thanks. I just thought it would be nice to have a meal with two of my_ best friends_."

Rachel isn't sure whether she wants to laugh or cry at the utter lack of sincerity in Allen's voice.

"So Rod," the redhead continues, resting his chin on his palm "do you have a girlfriend?"

Rachel nearly chokes on the water she's just sipped. She turns to Allen in attempt to mouth a '_what are you DOING?!_' but he's completely ignoring her and looking straight at Rod.

"Nah. You know I would have told you." Rod replies absentmindedly, still looking at the menu.

"It's actually pretty funny, but no one in our town is actually dating anybody. Not even Rachel here has someone special." Allen says, this time he's looking Rachel in the eye and she's doing everything in her power not to kick him.

"Really?" Rod looks up from his menu, "I'd think that a girl as cute as Rachel would've been taken already," he grins at her.

She looks down and feels her cheeks going ridiculously warm, "No... there's nothing like that." Even though she can't see it, she swears she can feel Allen's smirk growing.

"Are you all set to order?"

Rachel is startled to find Clement standing beside her, and fervently hopes he hasn't heard any of their conversation so far.

"I'd say we're ready," Allen says, and motions for Rod to go first. Rachel chooses the first thing off the menu to order when Clement looks at her expectantly.

"And for you?" the chef asks, turning to Allen.

Allen pauses for a moment before standing, "You know, I'm not actually feeling that well. I think I'm going to have to sit this one out."

Rachel's eyes widen, but before she can even attempt to do anything, Rod is already protesting.

"Are you sure you can't stay? If you really aren't feeling well, we can just do this another day when you're up to it."

'Yes,' Rachel thinks, because then at least she'll have time to mentally prepare herself. Or think of an excuse not to come, or-

"No, no, I insist that you two continue, since you went through the trouble of coming here. Especially Rachel, who made time for this even though she's always busy with her farm. We can all gather another day but you two should at least enjoy this. I won't be paying though since I won't be eating. I'll see you two around."

He flashes Rachel a look that reads '_you're welcome_' before leaving quickly enough that no one can argue with him further.

Clement turns to the two and Rod shrugs, "well it'd be a waste to leave now, why don't we just have lunch?"

Rachel nods, unable to think of any excuses. On the one hand, she's happy that she's getting the chance to spend time with Rod. On the other hand, she has no idea how to not be completely nervous around him.

"So, how do you like your pet?" Rod asks, after the chef has left to prepare their food.

"Oh, Biscuit? He's sweet, but he's really energetic," she says sheepishly. She'd just bought the dog a few days ago, his big brown eyes were just impossible to resist. "He's actually the reason I was late today, he ran off while we were taking a walk in the forest, and it took me a while to find him."

"Yeah he can be a real handful sometimes right? But I knew that you two would be a great fit since you've got a big farm for him to run around in."

She nods, "he loves running around the fields, he's also great at getting the livestock in and out of the barn, it saves me a lot of time."

"Glad to hear it, it sounds like you have a lot of animals on your farm."

Rachel takes a sip of water, "yeah, well you know, it wouldn't be much of a farm without them."

He grins, "yeah I guess you're right. Do you have any sheep? They're so fluffy and soft, I've always wanted to try hugging one but Neil won't let me go near any of his animals unless I'm planning on buying one. Too bad I don't really have a place to keep a sheep."

"Actually," Rachel hesitates for a moment but pushes forward, "...I have a couple of sheep on my farm. You can come by and see them sometime. I mean, lots of the villagers visit the farm so it wouldn't be strange or anything." Rachel wants to smack her head on the table, why does she have to make everything sound awkward?

To her relief Rod doesn't seem to have noticed her awkwardness, "Yeah? That sounds great, I'll definitely head by sometime!"

Before Rachel can say anything else, Clement has reached their table with their lunch. He places their plates down and tells them to enjoy before heading back into the kitchen.

"Looks good!" Rod says before digging in. Rachel follows suite, though the butterflies in her stomach are making it hard for her to work up an appetite.

"So has he always been obsessed with looks?" Rachel asks, head rested on her hand.

"For as long as I remember, yeah. He'd always tell me off for getting my clothes dirty when I was younger."

"And I thought he was just picking on me!"

Rod laughs, "That's just what he's like. He's well meaning, but hard to figure out. Like today, when he just cancelled lunch and left."

"Ah, yeah, that was... really weird."

Chef Clement approaches their table after having cleared their plates a few minutes earlier, "here are your cheques, I hope you enjoyed your meals!" he bows before leaving their bills.

Rachel can't help but be disappointed that it's time to leave. 'Just when I can finally start talking to him normally,' she thinks but brushes it off. After all, she's just glad that this whole thing happened, even if she wasn't too pleased with how Allen had gone about it.

Rod pulls out his wallet and puts down some bills while Rachel reaches into her pockets...

...which are empty because she left her wallet in her overalls. '_Crap_," she thinks, her face going pale.

"What's wrong?" Rod says, seeing the panic on her face.

"I left my wallet on my farm, I'll just go and get it, it'll only take a few minutes," She states, getting up and pushing her chair in.

"Hey, wait, don't worry about it," Rod pulls out some more cash and places it on the table, "just think of it as thanks for having lunch with me. I wouldn't be much of a gentleman if I made you run home to pay."

"No it's okay," Rachel says, "I couldn't possibly-"

"It's alright," Rod says, still smiling.

"Well..." She starts, conflicted. Rod was trying to do something nice for her, and she could sense that he wasn't wanting anything in return. On the other hand she didn't feel all that good about just letting him to pay for her. It would have been different if Allen paid since he'd said he would. Then an idea struck her, maybe she could turn this into something favourable, "then, you have to let me treat you for lunch sometime later."

Rod blinks in surprise, but upon seeing her serious expression he grins, "sure, if that's what you want then I'll take you up on it. Just ask me whenever you're free, my days off are from Friday to Sunday."

She nods, her cheeks were going a little red again.

"Well I really enjoyed today," He says as he puts his wallet back into his pocket, "see you around Rachel!"

"See you," she replies, waving as he leaves the restaurant.

Rachel stands there for a moment, debating whether or not to run to her farm and squeal or head to the salon and kill Allen for what he did earlier, before realizing (with glee) that she has time to do both.


End file.
